Brett Favre- Just Say No
July 11, 2008Paula Creamer Goes “Nova”
July 11, 2008WFNY readers have been playing GM for the Cavaliers since the playoffs ended. Well Tribe fans, the ‘off-season’ has come early for this year’s team. So we want your help. We will take a look at the Indians roster and determine who we should try and trade, who deserves an extension, and who we should simply ‘let it ride’. Ryan Garko and Jhonny Peralta’s fates have been voted on, now it’s time for Gutierrez…
Ok, I could lay a fastball right down the middle of the plate and serve Dellucci up on a platter for you, but that wouldn’t be very sporting would it? (Maybe not, but it sure would put me in the same boat as the Tribe relievers!) Everyone wants Dellucci gone so what’s the point. I’m saving Andy Marte for last…I figure by then he will have some more at bats, and you can’t accuse me of not giving him a chance. So let’s take a look at Franklin.
Contract Information–
Gutierrez is still under 2 years official Major League service time. He isn’t eligible for arbitration after this season, so the Indians can simply renew his one year deal. He is making $404,400 for this season (close to league minimum.)
Stats–
Year |
G |
AB |
R |
H |
2B |
3B |
HR |
RBI |
TB |
BB |
SO |
SB |
OBP |
SLG |
AVG |
2006 | 43 | 136 | 21 | 37 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 49 | 3 | 28 | 0 | .288 | .360 | .272 |
2007 | 100 | 271 | 41 | 72 | 13 | 2 | 13 | 36 | 128 | 21 | 77 | 8 | .318 | .472 | .266 |
2008 | 73 | 205 | 24 | 44 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 18 | 65 | 10 | 48 | 4 | .265 | .317 | .215 |
Let’s give Gutierrez some credit for what he does well. He is an above average outfielder defensively. He isn’t a center fielder, but has a strong arm in right. On a championship contender he might be a good bench player, and spell your regular outfielders. As an everyday player, he is just killing us with his bat. I know, you can say that about most of the team this year. But watch him long enough and you will see that Gutierrez simply hasn’t been able to make adjustments to Major League pitching. He still swings at breaking balls that bounce to the plate. He tries to pull everything. Take a look at the graphic below, those are Franklin’s extra base hits at home this year-
Notice anything? Like the extreme lack of any power the other way? I know, I need to let the readers speak, and try not to let my opinion influence the voting.
Waiting in the Wings–
Obviously there is Shin-Soo Choo, but he will get his own post later on. In the minors, nothing immediately. Jason Cooper and Jason Tyner aren’t really burning a path to the bigs. Matt LaPorta may be an option there eventually. Stephen Head and Trevor Crowe are having good seasons at AA Akron. If the Indians are going to be contenders in 2009, the RF position will most likely need to be addressed in free agency, or through trade this year for a veteran.
Alright WFNY readers, what say you? Have you seen enough from Gutierrez to offer him a long term extension? Do you want to Let it Ride by renewing his contract for next year? Would you like to see the Indians try and put a package together that includes Franklin and trade him? What’s it going to be?
19 Comments
I thought for sure this was going to be his breakout year. Since we’re still a year or two away from contention, I’d like to see what he does the rest of this year and even part of next. The dude reminds me of a young Moises Alou (a good thing, in my book) so I’d hate to give up on him too early.
I like him as a fourth outfielder, and especially appreciated the strategy of bringing him in when Borowski would come in. At the same time, I would not oppose trading him if we’re getting someone comparably valuable in return.
I don’t see us getting anything valuable in return for Franklin. His numbers this season are nothing but a dissapointment. He really needs to start focusing, I don’t understand how our coveted prospects end up turning into garbage at the plate in the big leagues. Oh well, just another season for the tribe in cleveland….
Keep him as a 4th outfielder. Next year will decide it.
@MoBot: Without the peeing on the hands, I assume?
I voted to trade him only because I think that teams would love his defensive skills, like Rick said, as a fourth outfielder.
My only point of contention is that our RF slot is starting to look like the Cavaliers shooting guard slot. A ton of guys that would be great roll players on other teams, but somehow find themselves starting here. If we could only go all “radio talk show caller guy” and package Choo, Gutierrez, Dellucci, and Blake for say Justin Upton, Hunter Pence, Nick Markakis or Corey Hart…
I would like ot see the tribe hold on to him. But he should play as a fourth out field or move him down to for the Beginning of next season and let him develop his bat. He has shown glimpses that he could be a good everyday player but I feel that he may have been promoted to soon. We wouldn’t get anything for him in a trade, and he’s making just over the league min., so I say resign for two years and see what we can develop him into. Move Ben Fransico in a starting role for now and next year we’ll have Gutierrez and LaPorta in AAA and developing into players that will play well next Grady. Also forget about Delluci, he’s a total waste of money that could have been used else where
The votes are close-
Trade Him- 16
Let it Ride- 13
Extend Him 8
I think Laporta could be a good RF, he has a good arm and is improving his skills in left, switching him over to right would not be too tough of an adjustment. That said I am done with Gutierrez, he simply cannot hit. I do not think we would get anything good in a trade for him but maybe in a package with Casey Blake or something. I think Choo would be a better 4th outfielder because at least he can hit a little
Why would anyone want to renew the contract of a guy with a .265 OBP? Why would anyone trade to get such a player? I think you should add another choice to the polls… “send him to Buffalo”
Devon, that doesn’t help next year’s team…
So far the results are-
Let it Ride- 26
Trade HIm- 22
Extend Him- 9
Addition by subtraction maybe?
I can’t stand everyone continuing to comment about how awful our hitters are without mentioning just how terrible our hitting coach is. Why does he still have a job? I don’t think Paul Molitor is doing anything. Hell, I’m not doing anything. I think anyone you could hire as a hitting coach would go in and do a better job of that guy that’s there. I don’t even know his name. He’s so awful at his job he’s become irrelevant.
Shelton is the hitting coach. He took over for Murray.
Let it Ride- 36
Trade Him- 28
Extend Him- 12
I disagree that Frank is only a corner outfielder – I believe him to be a superior outfielder, strong arm , great angle on the fly, makes great cathes against or near the wall, decent speed. He is an extremely poor man’s Torri Hunter. The guy has skills, he just stinks right now – that happens when the anchors of your offense are on the DL.
Ryan Ludwig made the allstar team this year, has 19 HR, but he and the rest of the Cardinals are stunk without Pujols. Cut him some slack – trade Garko cause of the logjam at 1B, but let Frank stay because he has the additional tools that will never slump. He complements an offense, when everybody is healthy.
J Juice- You may be right that Frank has the ability to play center…but not on this team. You can look back to the playoffs last season as well. Franklin’s bat killed us there too.
In a nutshell, Franklin is a flat spot on the wheel. Get rid of him, trade him if possible, but do it now, wasting another AB on his development only hurts developing someone else.
I really think you might as well keep Franklin for another year as your utility outfielder. He’s average as a center fielder because he lacks ideal speed, but he’s excellent defensively as a right fielder or left fielder because he catches anything he can get to, doesn’t make errors, hits his cut-off consistently, and has a fantastic arm. I think he can learn to hit a little better than he hits now, but I don’t see him as being better than a .260 hitter. That’s fine as your 4th outfielder who makes close to the league minimum.